Pressure builds on council to save cultural attractions from the axe

Nicholas Thomas, local democracy reporter

Two cultural attractions “must be saved” or should be taken out of Caerphilly County Borough Council’s hands, according to critics.

The local authority has proposed mothballing Llancaiach Fawr and Blackwood Miners’ Institute to cut costs.

If the proposals go ahead, the council will “seek alternative ways of delivering [the attractions] without the need for huge subsidies”.

A public consultation on the planned closures is ongoing, but the plans have drawn condemnation, including from two Plaid Cymru Senedd Members who called the two sites “cornerstones for the community”.

Delyth Jewell and Peredur Owen Griffiths tied council budget pressures to previous UK-level austerity measures, but said Caerphilly Council’s plans caused them “great concern”.

“In recent years, the council has been criticised for holding significant sums of money in reserves, and for spending high amounts to settle disputes with senior officers,” they added.

“Our local heritage cannot become collateral damage as a result – and neither can the services which vulnerable people rely on. We hope sincerely that support can be found to avoid these drastic cuts from taking place.”

Community councils

Ms Jewell and Mr Owen Griffiths are also writing to community councils in the borough, urging them to participate in the consultation and oppose the planned cuts.

Caerphilly Council spends a total of £832,000 a year subsidising Llancaiach Fawr and Blackwood Miners’ Institute, which together employ 32 members of staff and 33 “casual officers”.

Cllr Sean Morgan, who leads the council, said the authority “can’t continue to run our services in the way we always have”, and would “need to explore all options and consider ways of doing things differently”.

The need to save an estimated £45 million over the next two years “means we need to make some very difficult decisions over the coming months”, he added.

The uncertain future of the two attractions has also drawn fierce criticism from Plaid councillors.

Cllr Lindsay Whittle, who leads the council’s Plaid group, claimed Labour “don’t care about our history” and pointed out the old Rhymney Valley Council had bought the Tudor manor at Llancaiach Fawr, in Nelson, in the 1970s to secure its future.

‘Crown Jewels’

Llancaich Fawr “can make money, just not in the way it is currently being run”, claimed Cllr Gary Enright, who described the site as the “crown jewels” of the council’s estate.

“I’d be inclined for Cadw or the National Trust to take it over as an alternative,” Cllr Enright said. “However, there is nothing stopping this authority setting up a trading arm, or trust, with cabinet members on the board and running it as a separate enterprise.”

Both councillors issued a damning verdict on the council’s running of the two sites, with Cllr Enright claiming things would have to change, even if the two attractions ended up remaining open.

“If we can save the historical buildings from being mothballed, then there needs to be a ‘root and branch’ review of the way Llancaiach Fawr and the miners’ institute are run, because clearly they are not operated in the way that tax-payers’ money should be spent,” he added.

Cllr Eluned Stenner, the cabinet member for finance, responded to the Plaid criticisms on behalf of the council’s Labour group, which runs the council.

Labour has “no intention of losing these facilities from within the borough”, she said.

“Interestingly, since the consultation has begun, we have already been approached by commercial enterprises showing interest in running the venue,” Cllr Stenner added. “It is important we consider any such approaches, but these are of course early days.”

Responding to Cllr Enright’s suggestions, she added: “We will not enter into any discussions with interested parties including Cadw and the National Trust as this would pre-empt the consultation and a decision has not yet been made.”

In Blackwood, meanwhile, an online petition set up by the town council’s deputy mayor in support of the miners’ institute has collected more than 5,000 signatures to date.

County councillor Kevin Etheridge, an independent who represents Blackwood, wants councillors to debate the future of the venue and defer any decision on its closure until 2025.

Any potential mothballing should be considered as part of next year’s budget-setting exercise, so that “in the interest of openness and transparency all elected members can debate the proposals in the proper context”, added Cllr Etheridge.

To take part in the council’s consultation, visit here.